Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-12
FAMILY FAILURES.
Notable Instances Of HctroEres-
sion-Thc Probable Cause.

Notable Instances Of Hetrogrcs-
sien-rhe Probable Cause.
In spite of the great power, wealth
and influence which in their zenith is
in the possession of certain families,
it is astonishing how sometimes it is
found that after few generations their
descendants pass into state OF COM
parative poverty. In America there
have been but very few noteworthy
cases, unless famous operators like
"Coal Oil Johnny" and "Arizona
Dick, "who have made and squandered
their fortunes in a single lifetime, be
excepted. But in Europe the annals
are teeming with them, and few
note worthy instances may prove Of
interest to the readers of the HERALD.
Probably in power and magnificence
no race surpassed the Plantagenets, yet
there are found among its descendants
men following the avocations OF shoe
makers, toll-gatherers and sections.
Another melancholy fall was that OF
the Cromwells, and in the time of the
Protectorate Oliver, the leading light
of the family, occupied position and
power almost equal to the lnonarchs
who had preceded him. Yet, after
his death and the miserable failure of
his son Richard, the family gradually
retrograded in power and within three
generations the only lineal descendant
OF the race supported himself by
means of small store in the city of
London.
A story is told in the records
of Traver of Kirkhill, who
relates that he saw the
Earl of Farqnair, cousin of James VI,
begging in the streets of Edinburgh.
Gle was" says Fraser, Tin an antique
garb and wore broad old hat, short
cloak and pannier's breeches, and 1
contributed toward his relief. He
was standing with his hat off and re-
ceived the piece Of money from my
hand as humbly and as thankfully as
the poorest supplicant."
DIR. Doran, in his "Monarchs Re-
tired from Business" /" relates that the
son of King Theodore Of Corsica was
once dining at Dally's with Count
Poniatowski, the prospective King OF
Poland, when neither could muster
enough money to discharge their
reckoning. Distress drove the former
to suicide.
Numberless instances of q like ma
ture might be quoted, and it is an in
teresting subject to inquire into what
has caused this downfall. With some
it has been ill luck with others mis-
management and in many cases reck-
less extravaganza has been the means
of inducing such an untimely fate. A
story is told of a scion of the great
Scottish house of Uurquhart of Crom-
arby, who was necessitated by his ex-
travagance to sell his inheritance, and
who, sinking step by step to the low
est depths of degradation, came at last
a wandering beggar to the door which
had once been his own.
In modern times there are instances
equally as notable. The present
descendant of Lord Nelson serves in
the rank and file of the British army
Lord Berehaven of the Guards; and
in San Francisco at the present day,
driving street car, is one of the de-
scendants of an honored family,
which at present has its representa-
tive in the House of Lords. Scattered
throughout the United States are to be
found many of these family failures
men whose worst and most cutting
grievance is in the knowledge of the
past and its bitter comparison with
their present surroundings.